An Awfully Big Adventure
by Luce-depp
Summary: Emma goes to Neverland with Tamara, Neal and Henry on the Jolly Roger. Hook goes after his ship with the help of Charming and Snow. Or maybe it's not just the ship he wants.
1. Running

**Hello! **

**My first CS fic. I need to write something to remove writers block!**

**It goes away from all the spoilers we have in regard to how people get to Neverland. It's how I imagined it a few weeks ago.**

**Enjoy! Find out what happens with Hook and Emma finally meet up next chapter! Reviews would be lovely!**

* * *

"We have to take him Emma," Neal said gruffly, as he pushed past her with Henry in his wake.

Henry walked behind his father, his eyes shining in the way Emma was used to them doing so at her. It hurt to see him look that way at someone else, and for the briefest of seconds, she could relate to Regina, she could understand what she had felt, she could even hear Mr Gold's words from back in New York. Then she gave her head a shake. She was nothing like Regina. Henry had promised to let her in. She had to remember that.

Still, watching her son idolise a man who had run away from her was not sitting well with Emma. The way Henry had spoken to her was not good. Still, Emma fought to stay with him. She fought for that part in him that she used to have. She wanted that back, and she would have it. Mary Margret had spoken of her walls once, and this was when Emma knew that with Henry, she had no walls anymore. She was as vulnerable as she could possibly be with him right now, watching him walk to the docks.

"You don't have to come," Henry said barely looking back enough to actually focus on her.

"Course I do kid," she said, beginning to walk, pretending like that comment had not stung.

So she followed Neal and Henry to the dock, until she was faced with a ship she'd already been on more times than she'd ever believe. The Jolly Roger.

"We're going to steal this?" Emma asked, stopped dead on the wooden dock.

Neal turned around with a hesitant and very guilty look on his face.

"I don't do that kind of thing anymore Neal," Emma said firmly, her eyes moving to Henry, who was looking up at his dad again.

"We're not stealing it Emma, we're borrowing it," he said, taking Emma back eleven years with that same mischievous smile on his face. "It's for Henry's safety remember?"

Even though she knew he was searching for an excuse to make it all okay, he was lucky enough to have found the correct one. She relented with an exhale of breath.

"When we get back, you're going to have a talk to your son about right and wrong," Emma told him with a very motherly stare she didn't know she had in her.

Henry bounced on his feet with excitement, rushing forwards and scaling the ship's steps. Neal gave a half smirk to Emma and almost looked like he was going to turn back to the ship before Emma had a thought, and it wasn't evident to her yet why she thought of a partner when looking at the Jolly Roger.

"What about – "

"Tamara," Neal called, cutting her off and finishing her words.

Emma was about to tell him not to speak over the top of her, when she realised he was looking behind her. She turned around and found the woman she'd met in Manhattan strolling toward them.

"You got my message," Neal said, stepping away from Emma and greeting his fiancé with an awkward kiss to her cheek.

Tamara didn't look impressed at being here still. She had arrived not too long ago, and she didn't seem happy then, and she certainly didn't seem that way now. Her glare could rival Emma's, or Regina's.

"I'll explain on the ship," Neal said tentatively, trying to smile at Tamara.

Tamara eyed him for a long while, before slowly walking forwards, offering a stiff nod to Emma as she passed. There was something about her recent stares at Emma that just didn't make Emma feel right.

"Are we going or what?" Henry called loudly from way up on the deck of the ship.

Emma trudged forwards, leaving Neal to the ropes as already agreed upon. The problem was, once she was on the ship and it was pulling away from the dock, she realised that once again, she was running.

She was running from the family she didn't know she wanted yet, because she had the family she knew she wanted beside her, Henry. She didn't feel right leaving Mary Margret and David behind her, somewhere in her she felt it hurt, but she just told her self otherwise. She was good at that.

She watched as the boat slowly climbed toward the horizon. On Henry's other side was Neal, steering, with Tamara next to him. It was a moment in which Emma seemed to notice the gravity of the situation. She'd had a lot these moments lately, and she thought that was due to where she was these days.

If it wasn't battling for a son she never thought she'd see, or battling ogre's whilst walking through an enchanted forest chased by an Evil Queen, though she supposed even here in Storybrooke she was chased by an evil Queen. If it wasn't those things, it was that now, more than ever, she was being faced with choices she never thought she'd have to make, and having faith in things that in her logical mind should not exist, but did.

She felt like Alice having tumbled into Wonderland, and the truth of it was, Alice was probably on the stretch of coast behind her. Emma nearly laughed at that idea. Neal's idea for Henry's safety was ludicrous, but only at first, which showed just how much Storybrooke had grown on her.

She had no idea what awaited her. Sword fights? Fairies? Hopefully not Ogres. She felt a stab of guilt at the thought of Mary Margret and Ogres. Maybe there would be Indians. She'd read about this place for her entire childhood and Neal said something about this place lying off the edge of earth.

No orphan, or abandoned child could deny the pull of this place. Every one of them wished it were true. Emma more than any. Now she'd be going there. Maybe she'd meet a Pirate.

At that thought, her skin grew cold, and she gave an strange shiver. Henry looked up at her curiously, but Emma faked a smile and patted him on the head. All her sins with the kid seemed forgotten at the prospect of adventure. She turned back to look over her shoulder. He was somewhere there, on that piece of land fading in the distance, and that was the other thing she was running from. Sure, she hadn't chained him to a pole, or a radiator, but she'd as good as done it. He couldn't reach her where she was going. She was standing on the deck of the only way he could.

"Everyone ready?" Neal's voice came, interrupting her thoughts.

She felt Henry's hand slide into hers, and she squeezed it back, she hadn't quite thought about this part, and now she was slightly scared of what was going to happen. Not that she'd show it. Neverland. That's all she said to herself. Neverland awaited her, and that was the way she could protect Henry.

* * *

Killian Jones stood on the Dock in Storybrooke; in fact, he stood right next to the pylon his ship should have been tied too. He stood next to that pylon watching his ship sail towards the horizon. He could think only one thing. _Damn that Lost Boy!_ He had taken far too much that mattered to Killian; little did he know the full extent of the truth in that statement.

He stared unblinkingly at his ship as he tried to formulate a plan of some description. Revenge could take a backseat until he got his ship back. Footsteps roused his attention away from his thoughts, and he turned to see Snow White and her Prince Charming almost running toward the dock, their eyes worriedly scanning the horizon.

Hook turned back to face the ship in the distance, his lip curling. Now he knew who else stood on that ship. That damn Lost Boy had his ship, and his girl. Not that she was his, but as he had once informed her, he liked a challenge, and she had become his. He turned on his heel, his plan cementing in place, and began to storm off, in his usual single-minded manner.

"Hook," Snow called, but he kept walking, not even hearing her. "Hook!" She said louder this time, but still, he paid no attention. Where would that damn giant be? The dwarf had mentioned that he had planted the – before Killian could finish his own thought, a hand was around his throat, slamming him against the wall of the bait shop.

"David," Snow said instantly, her voice somewhere between shock and indignation.

Hook took in his surroundings, finding the hand around his throat belonged to Charming. What was it about him and his family that found him constantly undermined? The truth would be, he was constantly beaten by him and his daughter, but Hook would not admit that. Snow had caught up to David's side, and glared at him. Hook noticed she seemed to have an air of restraint about her too, as if she was holding back. Even physically holding her hands behind her back.

"You answer my wife," Charming said in that commanding voice of his as he let him go.

Hook narrowed his eyes on the blonde haired git.

"I didn't realise she asked a question," he growled, before sending his eyes quite deliberately toward his wife, Snow. He had pride to retrieve now that David had bested him. He looked back to the git with a delicious smirk. "And I dare say I'd notice _anything_ she did to me."

David reacted exactly as Hook expected him to, which made it all the sweeter. David swung at his head, but Hook ducked, pushing the git sideways with his body's own momentum. It sent him forward a few paces, and left Hook looking at Snow, with a victorious grin this time.

Snow was quick to catch David, before looking back to Hook. "We need your help Hook," she said genuinely. "You know who's on that ship, and we need to know where it's going."

She was playing on his kindness by mentioning the girl, but Hook didn't wonder why she knew to mention her. She was obviously perceptive this Snow, something her daughter had inherited too he noted. His eyes fell to Charming, who was straightening up and trying to regain his dignity.

"I won't take the Prince, or his whistling band of midget followers," Hook said flatly, with a roll of his eyes.

"David, apologise," Snow said sharply, with eyes full of fury at her husband. It was abundantly clear to Hook that this woman would do anything for her daughter, and that was something he'd never encountered in his own life. It was an odd thing to witness.

"But he – " Charming started; in his own defence, but Snow silenced him was another glare. David looked back to Hook, who'd crossed his arms, feeling incredibly smug, with a smile to match.

"'I'm sorry' is general term used_ Prince_," Hook said, his glee terribly hidden in his voice.

David looked to Snow as if this was proof enough that he shouldn't have to apologise, but her look was stern. David turned to Hook, his lip twitching.

"I'm sorry, Pirate," he said, as if the words were acidic to his mouth.

"It's Killian," Hook added with a tilt of his head.

"I'm sorry Killian," David finished through gritted teeth.

Hook smiled as he looked between the two of them and then nodded with that same arrogant air about him before turning and continuing on his path.

"Where are you going?" snapped Snow's voice behind him, more venomous than he'd ever heard it before. "We need to get Emma."

Despite her tone surprising him, it didn't stop him walking.

"I am," he called back, his eyes scanning the surroundings for that diner.

"You're going the wrong way," came David's voice from behind him.

"That I am not _Prince_."

"Then what are you doing?" David asked starting to follow Hook.

"Finding something," Hook called as he spotted the right street.

"What?" Snow asked, her voice slightly breathless now that she was following too.

"Beans."


	2. Arriving in Time

**The only sane way to combat assignments? CS fic time!**

**Enjoy!**

**And do remember I love reviews!**

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There had only been smooth waters. For what felt like hours there had nothing been smooth waters and no wind. Emma Swan's mind was still trying to grapple with what had happened before they'd reached this endless stretch of ocean.

They were sailing along normally, and then, as if they fell of the side of the earth, they literally fell off the side of the earth. There was a bright green light, and then they'd landed in clouds that Emma had expected to sink through like an aeroplane did. It didn't happen that way.

They floated on the clouds for a while, Emma not letting go of Henry's hand, and him squeezing back just as hard. Finally the clouds met the ocean, and they were in this completely flat endless stretch of water.

"How cool was that!" Henry had exclaimed, ripping his hand from Emma's and sprinting to the edge of the quarter deck and leaning over the rail. Emma heard Neal laugh, and Tamara followed suit not long after. Emma left the couple by the wheel, and moved to Henry, her motherly instinct made her want to pull him back off the railing in fear of him falling.

She didn't however. She just leant over it with him, smiling at her son.

"Mom, how long until we get there?"

"I don't actually know kid. I've never been there," Emma said with a shrug.

"But you've been to the Enchanted Forest," Henry reminded her, like she needed reminding.

"You but all I remember of getting there was trying to grab Regina and then a falling feeling and then getting woken up by Mulan," Emma said off-handedly as if being woken up by the central character from an Ancient Chinese myth was a completely normal thing.

Henry looked at his mother, his eyes shining in the same way they did at Neal. Emma smiled at him. She looked back at the path they'd taken, and could see nothing but ocean. If she was honest, she was afraid, or at least, uneasy.

She had no idea what stood ahead of her, she only had Neal's word to go on that all would be safe, and the last time she trusted Neal's word, she was locked up in Arizona. The boy beside her was the only reason she was trusting him to take Henry away from all the danger back home.

Still, what if she never got back to Storybrooke? What if she never saw Mary-Margaret or David? That same cold feeling coursed through her body as she thought of someone else she might not see again.

"Mom?" Henry asked, snapping her from her thoughts.

"Yeah kid," Emma responded looking from the back of the boat to him.

"Are you afraid?" Henry asked, and far from thinking Henry was reading her thoughts, she knew that he was afraid.

"Of course," she said slowly. "It's normal to be afraid when you're in a new place, but you're with me and your dad, we'll look after you."

He smiled at her again.

"So you really think we'll be safe here?"

"We'll be safer than we were back home," Emma told him, thinking of all those strange things that had occurred back home, those odd deaths.

"What about your mom and dad?" Henry asked, and Emma felt a pang of guilt.

"Ah," Emma started, scratching her head. "Well, they're a King and Queen, aren't they? They can take care of themselves."

"Prince and Princess technically," Henry corrected her and Emma smiled, hiding the guilt.

"I wonder what Neverland will be like without pirates," Henry said after a long pause with the two of them watching still water go by.

Emma didn't say anything, she just stood on the deck watching the water, and thinking of _him_. She didn't know what it was about Hook than incensed her. Mary Margaret had ideas, but they were crazy. Perhaps it was just how overtly _himself_ he was.

Not to mention the whole trying to kill Mr Gold thing. Yet, she just couldn't shake that strange feeling whenever he was near. She'd felt it ever since they'd climbed that beanstalk. There was something in him that she recognised, or sympathised with or something. She didn't even know why. She grew up in the real world, and he... well, she had no idea where he grew up, but it was part of world that to her mind didn't exist in anything but a child's imagination and fairy tales.

"LAND HO!" Came Neal's yell, and both Emma and Henry spun around to look at him. He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

Henry ran down the stairs to the main deck, and right up to the bow, obviously to get a better look. Emma moved back toward Neal and Tamara. In the distance she could see what looked like a tiny chain of Islands with a much larger one in the centre. The boat began rocking as well, and her attention was drawn back to the water, which was certainly not still anymore.

Emma took a deep breath, as the islands got closer. Neal was going between watching the water, and watching the look on Emma's face, and occasionally Tamara's.

As they got closer and closer to the land, Emma's eyes needed to expand just to take it all in. It was like being in a Disney movie, but she did have to remind herself that she kind of was. There was a huge rainbow that spread across the biggest island, the only one was actually an island. What she'd mistaken as an smaller islands were in fact rocks, and weirdly shaped ones at that.

The Island was lush and green, and the beaches perfect and white. It was suddenly quite warm, which led her to shrug off her long black coat. She could see a huge mountain, which had tiny tufts of smoke coming from behind it. It was as if there was some kind of glow around the whole place.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Neal asked, leaning his head towards Emma.

She looked over at him, her mouth agape.

"I'm waiting for the moment I wake up back in Storybrooke and this is all some dream," Emma said, smiling at him.

The sound of quick footsteps alerted them both that Henry was coming.

"Dad! I think I saw a mermaid, or a dolphin. Are there fairies? Is Tinkerbell here? What about Peter? I read about him. Can we go find him? Where do the pirates live? What about the Indians?"

"Whoah whoah whoah, slow down little man," Neal said, putting his hand of Henry's shoulder, who was jumping up and down between Emma and Neal.

"It'd be a dolphin, the Mermaids don't leave their lagoon often. As for the fairies, of course there are, this is where they're born," Neal explained giving all his attention to Henry, which made Emma smile in a strange way. Tamara didn't miss this. "As for Tink, well, it's been a while since I was here, so I don't know. Same goes for Peter. And see that smoke over there behind Neverpeak Mountain?"

Emma turned to look at it.

"They're the smoke signals from the Redskins. So they're definitely still here," he explained, and Henry's face split in awe. It was as if he didn't have enough senses to take in what was in front of him.

"Neverpeak Mountain?" Emma muttered sceptically from the side of her mouth, an eyebrow raised as she looked at Neal.

"You've never heard of it?" Neal asked in his husky voice, smirking at her.

"Yeah I have, it was just in a Disney movie," she said sarcastically.

"Well, you're looking at it Emma. The place I grew up, or I guess, didn't grow up," he explained with a shrug, looking to Tamara briefly, who was still staring at the island with an odd expression.

"So who exactly were – "

But before Emma could finish her sentence, the boat glided into the beach, and Henry had grabbed her hand, tugging her away. She followed him, climbing down the ships ladder first, and jumping off onto the white sand, before letting Henry follow.

She watched Henry come down, and once he landed, his jaw dropped.

"We're actually here! From the book! Like right here," Henry exclaimed, getting as excited as before.

It was as if he didn't know where to go to first, he kept spinning in circles, and Emma was just about to grab him and hold him still, when he seemed to stop dead, pointing in the distance, all the colour draining from his face. Emma began to turn, but just as she had, and arrow flew right past her nose, landing with a loud thud in the hull of the ship.

* * *

"What in the bloody hell was the point of bringing you if you couldn't harvest one bean Giant?" Hook roared, standing over the giant as he sat at a booth in Granny's diner.

"Don't yell at me!" Anton muttered back, his voice was muffled as if he was trying to keep his temper under wraps.

"Then get me some beans," Hook shot at him, knowing that the whole room full of diners had their eyes on this pair, as Charming and Snow hovered by the doorway, Snow looking very impatient.

"I can't. They're not ready," Anton said back, not looking at Hook.

"Now, see here Giant," Hook said threateningly, shaking his coat further back so his Hook was visible.

"Stop it!" Came Snow's voice, and she strode across the Diner, shoving Hook away, which saw him land squarely on the floor.

Killian looked back up at her, raising one eyebrow at the fury in her face. Charming had grabbed her, but not before her face could soften completely, her eyes revealing her fear at her actions. Well, at least now he knew what she was holding back.

"Anton," Charming said quickly, his voice calmer than Snow or Hook's had been. "Are there any beans we can use? It's for Emma."

At the sound of her name, Anton lifted his head, looking concerned.

"Emma. What happened to her?" The former giant said instantly.

Killian was slowly rising to his feet, but instead of his eyes being upon the one who had shoved him, he zeroed in on Anton. He did not like the way Emma's name had sparked his interest.

"What do you care for Emma?" Hook asked darkly, now on his feet, and moving back toward Anton's table.

"It's none of your business," Anton said, but Snow spoke over the top of him.

"They're friends," she said, not even looking at Hook, just watching Anton hopefully, as if her eyes on him could make a bean grow faster.

Hook scowled. Only Charming had noticed this, but he quickly brought his attention back to Anton. Hook could only stew on whatever was making him not like the way Anton said Emma's name.

"I might have a way, but I'll need your flask," Anton said, shakily pointing at Hook.

No body was supposed to know what was in his flask. Obviously the Giant had overheard something.

"They're nearly ready. Maybe a drop or two will restore it completely and you can go and get, whatever it is you want."

"Emma," Hook answered instantly, without even thinking.

"His ship," Charming said at the same time.

"That too," Hook added as the small group looked at him.  
He forced an arrogant smirk onto his face. "What kind of pirate would I be if there wasn't the prospect of a lass as a victory prize to guide me?" He added, using all the charm a pirate was blessed with.

Charming raised himself to full height with a deep breath, but Snow was quick to defuse the situation.

"Just ignore him," she murmured, though Hook did his best to add an extra wink to the girl in question's father.

It didn't take long to find where the beans were being grown, and to locate the best one to use. Just by touching them Anton could tell the difference. Giant's had a way with beans that humans could never understand. Anton held the bean in his hand, and looked at Hook, who stood just behind Charming and Snow. As if they were mentally trying to barricade Anton from Hook.

"Now, we need the water," Anton told him.

Hook furrowed his brows at the Giant, and the other two. He'd kept this water for some emergency, and he supposed this counted. The presence of Charming and Snow could only remind him of what was there, in Neverland, waiting for him. Of course it was his ship, but the image of who would be standing on his ship was the driving force that made him reach into his long leather coat and retrieve the flask, pouring the water in Anton's hand.

"Why do we need his water? Why can't use any water?" Charming asked thickly.

"Because this is special water Prince. It's from Lake Nostos. It has healing properties," Hook explained, enjoying the power he had imparting such knowledge, and that joy was reflected in his tone of voice.

"But I thought it dried up," Charming said to Snow.

"Cora must have done something. When we got there it was overflowing," Snow explained.

The bean, which had previously been a darker green colour, was steadily growing a lighter and brighter green.

"It's ready," Anton said, having not even paid attention to the discussion around him.

"Great," Hook said, striding forwards and taking the bean from Anton without consulting anyone.

He kept walking forwards, towards the beach about fifty feet in front of him.

"Hook!" Charming and Snow shouted, darting forwards to catch up.

"Calm down lass," he said to Snow. "I'm not going anywhere without _you_."

"Watch it," Charming threatened, but Hook only shook his head with a smirk.

He reached just near the riverbank and tossed the bean into the waters there. Slowly the waters began to move, until a whirlpool broke the surface, despite how shallow the waters should have been. Hook turned to see the green from the portal reflected on the very apprehensive faces beside. His smiled at the notion that these too were afraid and he wasn't. It was somewhat of an ego boost for the pirate.

"Well come on then loves. Tick-tock," he called to them, walking backwards for a moment so they could see him, he let his lips twist into a smirk, joined by the slightly maniacal look in eye at the prospect of another adventure.

He stood on the very edge, and slipped his hand into a satchel that sat on his belt. From it he pulled a compass, the very same one he fought Emma for once. Snow looked at it in shock. Charming meanwhile just had a puzzled expression, as he gripped his wife's hand, preparing for the fall.

"You wouldn't believe the things I had to do to her to get it mate," Hook said to Charming.

Before the man could take a swipe at the pirate, Hook jumped, grabbing Snow's hand and pulling the two of them with him.


	3. Shoved Away

**Just when you thought it might have been a SwanThief fic... CS arrives!**

**Enjoy!**

**Reviews are always appreciated!**

* * *

Emma spun around in alarm, her hands reaching for Henry and pulling him behind her as she came face to face with a huge Native American looking man.

"Why have you come here Pirate? We banished you," the man said, and Emma noticed that behind him stood three other men with tribal paint, headdress's, and bow and arrows pointing directly at her. She was smart enough to realise the first arrow missed on purpose, and the next would not.

"I'm not a pirate," she replied, trying to sound firm.

"You come in big pirate ship, you pirate," he said back in the thick accent she'd only heard in old western movies.

Emma glanced up at the Jolly Roger. Where the hell was Neal?

"I'm not a pirate. It's not my ship. I swear," she said loudly, hoping Neal would appear.

She raised her hands in front of her chest, as if to indicate some kind of submission and surrender, but the men pulled back their arrows.

"I don't mean any harm, I promise. I'm not a pirate, I'm just a sheriff, and a..." she hesitated, wondering if revealing her fairytale land title would help right now. "I'm a prin-"

"Emma!" Came Neal's voice, cutting her off. She looked up and all the arrows seemed to follow her line of sight, pointing now to Neal. "What the hell is going on?"

"They think we're pirates," Emma muttered as quietly as possible, wishing the Indian in front of her would move out of her personal space.

"Chief Big Little Panther?" Neal said, which caused Emma to look up at him dumbstruck. She'd never heard such an absurd grouping of words in her life.

The man before her was examining Neal very intently.

"Nibs?" he finally said.

Neal laughed his normal hoarse laugh, and jumped from the ship onto the sand.

"Yeah, it's me," he exclaimed, his face plastered with a wide grin.

The man kept staring at him, and the men with arrows kept them aimed at Neal. Finally the Indian in front of Emma stepped away, and moved to Neal, still scrutinizing him.

"It is you!" He cried, moving to Neal and hugging him.

Emma thought strangely, given the size of the unknown man, that Neal actually looked quite small in his arms. It was the closest she'd ever come to seeing Neal as a child.

"Chief, how have you been? How's Neverland?" Neal gushed, looking up at him with his lopsided smile.

The chief began to talk about the state of the Island, and Emma swore she heard something about mermaids. She leant closer to Neal, still struggling to grasp everything that was going on around her.

"Chief as in the Picaninnes in Neverland and Tiger-Lily and –" Emma started to mutter just so he could hear, but once again he interrupted.

"Tiger Lily!" Neal repeated, looking to the Chief, his eyes wide and a smile to match. "How is she?"

"Tiger-Lily is in clearing. I sure she love to be reunited with favourite lost boy," the Chief said, clapping Neal on the back, whilst Emma blinked many more times than seemed necessary. "Come."

Neal looked to Emma with the same grin, and Henry, who Emma had nearly forgotten was there, bounced on his feet again. Emma however had had enough.

"Everyone just stop!" She shouted.

The Chief, Henry and Neal, who'd begun walking away, froze on the spot, and turned around, only Henry looked guilty, the Chief was confused, and Neal too. Emma marched up to Neal, nearly as angry as she was the day she found him in Manhattan.

"You're a Lost Boy and you grew up in Neverland with, like, Tinkerbell and fairies and flying and and– "

Words failed her as she shook her head, not being able to believe this.

"Emma I'm– "

"Why didn't you tell me any of this? You know, when we together, you never thought to say, oh by the way, I'm a freaking Lost Boy and I spent hundreds of years not growing up but flying around with Peter Pan?" Emma exploded, glaring at Neal.

"Oh, is Peter here?" Henry asked, looking at the Chief.

"I'm sorry," Neal responded, sounding unperturbed by the whole thing. "But it's not like you asked."

"Oh, well I'm sorry. Next time I'll be sure to ask my boyfriend if he grew up in a freaking fairy tale."

"Well, technically I didn't grow up here," Neal muttered trying to joke, but Emma stopped him with a glare. "Look Emma, I'm sorry. I should have told you before I came who I was. I came here when I left my father. They took me in, and looked after me. Peter named me Nibs," Neal explained hastily.

Emma's mind, even though it had climbed a beanstalk, battled a giant, run from ogre's, travelled through magical portals and sailed on clouds, was still struggling to process this information.

"How about we go into the clearing, you can keep yelling at me there," Neal said, but it was clear the prospect of being united with people he'd long left behind was a bigger draw than having Emma yell at him.

Emma looked at Neal through narrowed eyes, finally relenting, even though the internal fight against logic was anything from over.

"Let me just grab Tamara and we'll be on our way," Neal said, nodding to the chief, and disappearing up the Jolly Roger.

Emma looked from Henry to the Chief, and at the three men who'd previously held arrows up to kill her, but were now walking back into the trees beyond the sand. She looked at the Chief, who was still stony faced. Emma could hear Neal calling Tamara's name in the background, but Henry stopped her from wondering why.

"Um, excuse me, Mr Chief," came Henry's voice, and Emma could tell he was nervous.

She looked down at him, he barely came up to the Chief's hip, but the Chief gave him his full attention.

"Is Peter Pan here?"

The corner of the Chief's mouth twitched, as if he wished to smile, but never allowed himself to do so.

"Peter exist only in heart of every young boy and girl."

The Chief's speech continued, but Emma's attention was stolen, by Neal, who landed beside her with a loud thud. Emma expected him to turn to her and say something about Tamara not wanting to join them, but instead, he looked wildly around, his eyes darting about it panic.

"She's gone," he whispered to Emma.

"What? How?" Emma said back

"I have no idea," he muttered breathlessly, putting his hand into his hair, and glancing around. "We were standing in front of the only exit. I have no idea how anyone could get to her."

"You've checked the boat?"

"Of course I have!" He whispered indignantly.

On instinct Emma moved around to the side of the shore the boat was blocking, looking for the tall figure of Neal's fiancé. Neal was right, they were guarding the only exit as they talked to the Chief, and if she'd jumped off into the water, they'd have heard. Emma tilted her head left to be sure that Henry stayed in her sight.

They'd come from a land of mysterious deaths and disappearances, and apparently landed in one with exactly the same problem. She went to move back to Henry, her own fears forcing her to abandon her short lived search. As she walked back she picked up the end of whatever the chief was saying to Henry.

"Peter pan, you see, is… Captain Hook," The chief finished, however the last word seemed different to the others, his voice had gone up, and fear seemed to have injected itself into his words. Peter Pan wasn't Captain Hook. She knew Hook. Hook was at home, and Peter was here.

Emma finally looked up at the large Indian man, ready to ask what gibberish he was talking, but she saw that he was pointing to the ship. In a moment she completely understood what was happening, but in another way, she felt completely lost. Stood on the railing of the Jolly Roger in all his black-cloaked glory was the exact man Emma knew to be at home. Captain Hook, grinning the same cocky smirk he had the last time he'd seen her.

* * *

Killian kept Snow's hand firmly in his as he felt the falling feeling pass through his stomach.

"Whatever you do, don't let go," Hook shouted over the great sound of wind rushing past them.

He moved the compass to get a better read. It was sitting somewhere between what on a normal compass would read as south. He needed it to be at the point of what would be north.

"We have to move into that green light," Hook yelled, and he pushed forwards, as if he was swimming, and they moved into the green light surrounding them.

Everything around them was green, but the compass told Hook exactly what he needed to know. He kept pushing forwards, until the green was growing faint, and there was light at the end of the tunnel. He glanced back at the compass, which was pointing at due north, and then, without warning, the green was gone completely, and they all landed on something hard.

Hook opened his eyes. He almost had to pinch himself. He was on the deck of his ship. A smile spread across his lips as he stood, putting his hand to the wheel, and relishing the feeling of having this carved wood back under his fingertips. He completely lost all sense of who he was with, and where they'd gone to, until he heard the princely prat speak.

"Who's over there? I can hear voices."

Hook's head snapped up, remembering everything instantly as his eyes swept over Charming and Snow. He could hear the voices coming from the left of the ship, near the break in the railing. He walked on, without saying anything, and he heard a voice he hadn't heard in years.

He smirked to himself, already knowing who was there. He with a twirl of his coat tails, he was up on top of the banisters, using a rope to steady himself. His eyes fell on the Chief, looking exactly as he had when Hook had last seen him.

At the sound of his name he flicked his head up, relishing in the arrogance he could bring to this moment. It faltered slightly as blonde hair came into his vision. Emma. He hadn't expected to see her, even though it made sense for her to stay so near what had brought her here.

For a moment, he had the strangest compulsion to purely address her, to take her and show her Neverland alone. In his own mind he questioned momentarily as to why only her, the Lost Boy had come together. He had heard that other woman was with the Lost Boy. An irrational anger rushed through him to be directed at the Lost boy. He pulled himself together enough to maintain his arrogant demeanour as he stood on the railing of his ship.

"Chief, oh how I've missed you," he said sarcastically.

"You have not been missed Pirate," the Chief replied in his deep voice.

Hook's eyes moved back to Emma, who didn't look pleased to see him.

"Now now love, don't waste all your time explaining how much you missed me. You have to conserve your energy here," Hook told her, tilting his head just to be extra playful.

Emma rolled her eyes, and Killian just continued to grin. The Lost Boy all of a sudden lunged forwards to the foot holes in the ship, and began clambering toward him on the banister. Hook looked down at him with one eyebrow raised.

Neal was on the ship before Hook could do anything about it. Killian had just jumped off the banister, when he had Hook gripped by the front of his jacket.

"Where is she? Where did you take her?" Neal bellowed.

Hook immediately moved to his own defence. He shoved Neal back, but he didn't let go, so Hook raised his left hand.

"Let go of me Lost Boy, or you'll find a hook where you do not desire one," Hook threatened, his eyes glaring into Neal's, and his mouth twisting dangerously. "Exactly like old times."

"Tell me where she is and I'll let–"

There was blonde head beside him, and suddenly, Hook was let go.

"Hey! Hey! That's enough," said a voice, and it was the Prince standing between them, Snow trailing behind.

"He took Tamara," Neal shot at David, before a realisation of who he was speaking to hit him. "Wait. How did you– What are you doing here?"

Charming had separated Hook and Neal by standing between them, a hand on each of their chest.

"It doesn't matter. Who's missing?" Came Snow's voice, and Neal did a double take when she stepped forwards.

Hooked heard the sound of boots on wood, and knew Emma was climbing the ship herself.

"Tamara," Neal said, still glaring at Hook.

Hook, angry at having someone get the better of him, lifted his Hook threatenily at Neal again, and David looked ready to tell him to stop, but another arrival stopped him.

"Emma!" David cried instead, stepping away from both men and to his daughter.

"David, Mary Margaret!" Emma exclaimed, and Hook watched Henry pop up behind her.

Snow moved between everyone, sweeping her full grown daughter into her arms.

"Don't you ever do that again," the mother told her as she pulled back, and for possibly the first time, Hook saw a sheepish expression on Emma's face.

"We were so worried," David added, moving to Emma.

Hook's eyes and not left Emma, and it didn't until he felt a hard blow to his chest. Neal had taken his chance with the disturbance and lunged forwards once more to grab Hook, but missed, smacking him in the chest instead.

That was more than enough for Killian, who finally saw red. He gripped Neal with one hand, shunting him backwards against the railing. He discovered his height over Neal was more than he assumed, and pushed Neal slightly over the banister. He brought his hook to Neal's face, holding it just above his skin.

"Do not touch me Lost Boy," he said in a dangerously quiet voice. "Or you'll have another scar to join the one I gave you long ago."

Neal's eyes were watching the point of his hook very intently. Before Neal could respond, or Hook could continue his threat, another set of hands separated them, but just not the same as those before.

"Hook," came a loud voice to his right, and then Emma was in front him, moving between him and Neal and using her body to push him away from the man. "Stop it you two!"

Hook's chest was heaving, as he continued to glare at Neal, but Emma kept pushing him backwards slowly. His eyes fell from Neal to Emma briefly, and by the time he returned his vision back to Neal, his anger was forgotten, everything as forgotten.

He looked back to Emma. Her face was only inches from his as she tried to intervene. The moment his blue eyes had found hers, very little else seemed to matter. His eyebrows very slowly lowered, almost showing his body's own confusion at the moment it was having.

Every breath seemed slow, and time followed suit. They stood, staring at each other, Emma with her hands still upon his chest, and Hook was doing his best to read her like the open book he knew her to be. He had no real read on her in this moment. It was as if all his senses, and certainly his defenses, had gone fuzzy with her so close.

To him, a lifetime could happily have passed as he watched her, and there had only been one other woman who had caused him to feel such a way. Emma looked afraid, almost lost, and slowly he began to have an inkling as to why. He went to step forward, really unaware of where he was, just engrossed in this feeling he had not felt since he stood on this deck with another woman many centuries ago.

"We'll just go find her," David's voice floated into his ears, waking him from his daze, and as Emma's head turned he realised it woke her too.

Emma looked back to Hook, her mouth still slightly agape, and her eyes searching his now. She was afraid, that Hook could see. He could see it as if it was print across her forehead in huge letters. So he spared her the feeling. An enemy should be afraid, but fear was not what Killian wished for in a… whatever Emma was. That needed to be discovered. He forced himself to let that devious smirk of his appear. "All in good time love," he whispered smugly.

Then, fear was wiped away as she rolled her eyes again. She pushed off him, and walked the few steps back to the group. As he watched her walk he wanted to hook his fingers behind her elbow, and rip her back to his chest, but he did not. He had a Lost Boy to deal with first.

Hook stomped forwards, standing beside Charming. "The solution is simple," he added the loudest to the fray of voices searching for this person Hook was being blamed for. "We need help from those in here who know everything."

"TINKERBELL," he yelled.


End file.
